Bottom fishing pertains to directing the fish hook to the bottom of the water with the idea of maintaining the baited fish hook at or near the bottom where fish tend to feed. The intent is to maintain the fishing line and bait on the water bottom while the bait floats wistfully or in a current. Slip sinkers of various weights from about one-quarter ounce to about five ounces can be used although some slip sinkers up to about eight ounces can be used in ocean waters. It is important to use the lightest sinker and yet one heavy enough to maintain the fishing line on the water bottom. On the other hand, too much weight can cause too much resistance. Fish generally are very sensitive and will quickly drop any bait that offers too much resistance. A too heavy sinker will prevent light strikes from being noticed by the angler and the fish may strip the bait from the hook without the angler knowing that he had a bite. However, a heavier weight may be required to keep the fish line and bait in a current or in deep water while still holding the water bottom. Bottom fishing takes into consideration the water bottom ground to be baited, the depth of the water, the strength of currents and the effect of wave action as well as the type of fish, which in turn dictates the weight of slip sinker desired. A proper slip sinker ordinarily comprises a spherical or egg-shaped or tear-shaped lead weight containing an axial or lengthwise small through opening centrally located for the fishing line to pass through the sinker. Thus, when the fish takes the bait, the fishing line passes easily through the sinker with little or no resistance while the sinker stays on the lake or river bottom. The slip sinker allows the angler to feel the faintest nibble while permitting the fish to swim short distances with the bait but without dragging the sinker along the bottom.
Slip sinkers ordinarily are attached to the fishing line and maintained about one to three feet from the fish hook to permit easy movement of the fish hook. The slip sinker is maintained the distance by a stopper means which can be a fixed tiny weight, a sinker, a swivel, or even a knot in the fishing line. Thus, the fishing line can pass through the slip sinker but the slip sinker will not close in on the fish hook. Prior art slip sinkers comprise a solid one-piece sinker with an axial central hole necessitating threading the sinker each time a new or different slip sinker is operatively attached to the fishing line. To change slip sinkers, the fishing line is either cut or disassembled to remove the old slip sinker whereupon the new slip sinker is slipped onto the cut fishing line followed by reassembly of the fishing line with a fish hook and bait.
It now has been found that a two-piece slip sinker can be produced with can be operatively attached to the fishing line without cutting or disassembly of the fishing line. According to this invention, a two-piece rounded slip sinker comprising two detachable sections such as halves having an axial through opening centrally disposed as a channel or slip adapted to provide passage of the fishing line through the assembled slip sinker. The two halves further include interlocking internal means to prevent interface rotation, slippage, or twisting of one half relative to the other half. The assembled slip sinker contains a continuous peripheral channel indenting the annular surface transverse to the axially disposed, central through opening for receiving the fishing line. The indented peripheral channel is adapted to receive an elastomeric or rubber O-ring adapted to stretch over the peripheral surface of the slip sinker, engage the peripheral channel, and secure the two halves tightly together. The O-ring can be permanently attached to the fishing line by the fishing line passing through the central opening of the O-ring which can be attached or detached from the two-piece slip sinker as desired. To replace the slip-sinker with another, the O-ring can be simply removed and maintained on the fishing line, the two halves can be dismantled, and a new slip sinker assembled and interlocked about the fishing line, whereupon the O-ring remaining on the fishing line can then be stretched over the new slip sinker to engage the transverse peripheral channel and thereby lock the new slip sinker together as a single unit on the fishing line. These and other advantages will become more apparent by referring to the drawings and detailed description of the invention.